severe, mandatory government spending cuts set to kick in next month, unless lawmakers can come to a deficit-reducing deal. back in 2011, when congress and the president reached a last-minute debt ceiling deal, there was a warning that came with the relief: >> "this is, however, just >> "anybody that thinks that this is the end of the story, or you can take a deep breath and move on, is >> pam: what now-retired senator conrad described then, is very real today. unless there's a budget deal by march first, sequestration--the word for steep mandatory budget cuts to domestic and defense programs-- begins. >> "there is no reason that the jobs of thousands of americans who work in national security or education or clean energy, not to mention the growth of entire economy should be put in jeopardy because folks in washington couldn't come together." >> pam: president obama said tuesday that if congress can't pass a comprehensive plan, it should at least agree to a calls "a balanced mix of spending cuts and tax reform" to avert the sequester. house republicans counter-- the ball is the president's court. >>